Freaky Twiday
by bloodyblond
Summary: Someone really doesn't appreciate that Alice is lying, Jasper's denying and Bella is crying. It's time to flip a switch.
1. To 'Righter' a Wrong

**Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**  


_**A/N: This one goes out to all the people who responded positively to my last story and encouraged me to continue writing! You guys are great! **_

_**Be forewarned that I've tweaked the Twilight verse a little to suit my story's needs. A pairing or two will be switched (obviously) and some characters will be tweaked, while others are left out all together (sorry to all you fur-face fanboys, but the wolves have no place in my story :() So I hope you'll be willing to over-look it.** _

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Wrong. This was all wrong.

Azial scrunched her face up as the couple she was currently spying on shared a perfunctory, almost staged kiss. She didn't bother to smother the gagging noises that crept up her throat as the male attempted, rather half-heartedly she noted, to take it further. He was (_thankfully_, Azial thought) rebuffed.

Azial couldn't decide which pairing was more nauseating, this one, or the couple currently locking lips in the bedroom down the hall.

_Now that,_ Azial thought, _was a match made in hell._ Vain and broody and vain and bitchy. It almost boggled her mind that those two were actually soul mates, but then she remembered the disaster that was Eva Braun and Hitler. She had stopped being surprised after that.

Well, maybe not entirely. It had boggled her mind a bit when she found out that two vampires in the same coven both had human mates, a rarity in its own right, but also ones who happened to be related by marriage, an almost unheard of happenstance in bondings. It had been a bit stranger still to see so many bonds in one house and almost overwhelming at times. But then again, this coven proved to be anomalies in, not only the human world, but the supernatural as well, it would only be proper if their bonds were as well. And while she may have been trying to wrap her head around one of the bonds (two if you counted the false one she was watching) and trying to unite the (real) other, at least the other two couples in the house made perfect sense. The soul mate bond between them unbreakable, yet soft and beautiful.

She wasn't responsible for any of the pairings, hell, she would never have been unable to support the unholy pairing of Broody and Bitchy. No, not even Her Goddess had complete control over that. She could only instil the spark in people from the moment they were born, steer them in the right direction of their other half and have their paths intersect. It was entirely up to them at that point whether they did anything about it. It was sad how few did though, the concept of soul mates proved to be very difficult for mortals to comprehend. Lust and other emotions disguised as love seemed to win over the bonds almost every time. It had happened so often, that eventually the spark in a large number of mortals began to just peter out. It was why soul mates were so rare nowadays. The supernatural race, it seemed, were better at feeling the bonds and embracing them... or at least most of them were.

That's why Azial was here. That was her job. She was a Righter. One of only three that existed.

They fixed the, sometimes, grievous errors committed by those who had been soul-bonded. Because of the rarity of the bond, as style continued to replace substance, a Righter's job was very sporadic one, their assistance required only once every few years, sometimes even decades. As the best, Azial knew that whenever she was sent on the job, it had to be a doozy. This one certainly was.

She pressed closer on the windowsill, her body now half in the room while her legs dangled outside. She wasn't the least concerned about being seen. Despite the heightened senses that came with being a vampire, Azial could easily prance in front of the entire coven, nude and doing the Macarena, (it was rather pathetic that she knew what that even was. Mortals were a peculiar breed.) and still not be seen if she chose it.

She focused her attention on the pair in the bedroom, half of the reason why she was here. The male was perched on the bed, an almost pained look on his handsome features, while the oblivious female prattled on about the latest fashions coming out of Paris in the next week.

Azial could clearly see why Her Goddess was so angry with these two. She had watched the male over the last week, more closely on the rare moments he was near his soul mate, and was beginning to wonder if Her Goddess had been right to question whether he deserved the second chance she would give him.

Her Goddess had been unconcerned at first, when the pairing Azial was currently observing, had met. The male's soul mate wouldn't even be born for almost forty years, with an extra eighteen years added before she would finally be ready for him. Her Goddess usually never had a problem with unbonded beings sharing companionship or love, considering so few even experienced the true soul-bond, and was content with the knowledge that, whether the male knew it or not, he was inadvertently on the path that would eventually lead to his soul mate.

What Her Goddess hadn't expected was the complex interference that would follow, both in the years before his other half came into the picture and the months following her arrival. Not only from the female who had convinced the male she was his mate through her deliberately twisted lies and visions, but also the male himself, with his confused silence and frequent avoidance and denial of the bond itself.

The confusion Her Goddess could understand, and even forgive. After all, the male had spent 60 years with a woman who had been playing the 'we're mates' card from the moment they met. It wouldn't be easy to simply disbelieve something you considered truth until the moment your eyes met with another's and you felt the bond snap into place. And he felt the snap. Azial knew that without a doubt.

Whenever the two were in the same room together, something that had become less and less frequent with each passing day, Azial could see ribbons of their souls desperately reaching out to one another. Evidence that the male could feel it would manifest in his topaz eyes as a brief flash of agonized longing in her direction. It would always end the same way, him abruptly leaving the room, brutally severing the reaching ribbons, his smug, false mate plastered closely to his side.

If he had only turned around, he would have seen the same look on his soul mate's face as she watched his retreating figure.

It took a month of these repeated episodes, something that inspired both admiration and pity in Azial. Admiration for putting up with the indifference for as long as she had and pity for the cracks that were clearly beginning to show.

Once a soul mate bond had begun (the spark generated in their first meeting had allowed that much at least) it wasn't something that could, or should be easily ignored.

Thanks to the fickleness of mortals, it had proven to be easier for them to ignore, or eventually reject. The worst of their symptoms being heartache, usually followed by a jaded or slightly embittered feeling towards love that would prove to linger throughout future relationships. Sad, yes, but still relatively simple to maneuver around. But when supes suddenly factored in the equation, be it single or doubles, the consequences of denying the bond could be much more unsettling.

When one was mortal then neither would die, which was pretty much a guarantee when both of the bonded were supes, instead, both would feel the pain and incompleteness grow to unbearable proportions. Then it could go one of two ways; either their minds would eventually snap under the pressure and they'd be driven insane or misery would cloud over them as they become more listless and lethargic until eventually they were just hollow.

Azial had always considered this to be a bit cruel, much harsher than death, and had said so once to Her Goddess. Her Goddess had replied that the Human/Supe pairing was complex, with the vampiric kind being the most difficult of all, due to their largely considered belief that humans were beneath them. These symptoms were the bonds last desperate attempts to unite, before they simply gave up and taught those bonded a very harsh lesson. Even love has its limits.

Azial's job as a Righter was to attempt to fix things before they reached this critical level. As harsh as Her Goddess could initially be to those who had denied the rare gift she had given them, she truly did want people to feel the indescribable amounts of love, beauty and power that came with a soul-bond. A Righter served as the soul mate's last chance, and they almost never failed... Azial tried not to think of the time, when she had been mere years into her Righter duties, when she hadn't succeeded. It had proved to be so terrible, that she had begged Her Goddess for permission to end their misery. Though Her Goddess had eventually conceded to her request, as punishment for such a grave failure, she had told Azial that she would have to deal the death blow herself, then branded their names above her heart so she would never forget. And never fail again. And she hadn't. It would be the only time she had ever taken a life in her five hundred years.

Her sisters got the simpler jobs, the ones where the bonded were hesitant or slightly reluctant. More often than not, they were able to guide the bonds into fruition, with some gentle suggestions and unseen nudging. Azial was known to be a little more unorthodox in her methods and always got the rarer type, the ones that were tiptoeing the line of a full mental breakdown or death. This was usually brought on by full on, vehement denial from one, or both of the bonded. It was the reason why she was sent to deal with this one.

It had been clear the moment she had taken stock of the situation that no amount of gently nudging would break through the male's staunch refusal to acknowledge the bond. While Azial knew he was experiencing the onset of the symptoms, she was concerned that he wasn't feeling them as strongly as his soul bond. Thanks to his history, and his years with his false mate, he had become very adept at suppressing his feelings. His only real tell was the pinched look that was constantly on his face, something that the other members of his coven had mistaken for a struggle to control his thirst for the blood that beat in the veins of the Broody one's human mate. She had a feeling he used this to his advantage, convincing himself that any longing or pain he felt towards his soul-bond was merely for her blood and nothing more. He didn't know it, but this continued denial had caused his soul mate's symptoms to almost triple in the speed of their development.

Azial had been watching the three for almost two weeks, turning over her (perhaps craziest yet) plan in her head, waiting for the right moment to put it in motion. She knew when she witnessed his soul-bond's difficulty in getting out of bed this morning, that she had to act soon.

Her gaze was drawn to the female who was currently flitting around the room, throwing things into a large designer bag, before coming to a stop at the bedroom door.

"Are you coming, Jazzy?" She threw over her shoulder, a falsely sweet smile stretching her lips. "You promised you'd take me and Jess to the mall."

Azial watched as Jasper's shoulders collapsed briefly, before he snapped to attention with a small, forced smile. "I'll be there in a minute, just let me grab my jacket."

"Not the leather one, Jazzy," she replied, scrunching her nose. "You know I hate the way it smells."

"Yes, Alice," he sighed resignedly.

Alice beamed. "Great! I'll just go grab Jess and meet you in the car." She flitted down the hall, calling Jess' name and squealing an indistinguishable, even to a vampire or Righter's ear, stream of words that might have included something about clothes and shoes.

Jasper sighed again and walked to the very small portion of the gargantuan closet that Alice had designated for him and grimaced as he picked up the pea coat, in a very eye watering shade of orange (because _'Omigod, orange is the new pink, Jazzy!'_) that he knew Alice wanted him to wear, even if she hadn't specified it.

Azial leaned closer when Jasper hesitated while pulling on the jacket and rubbed hard over the spot above his unbeating heart. "Hurts." He murmured absentmindedly, before shrugging into the jacket and stalking out the bedroom door at a human pace.

The pain in his heart meant his symptoms were escalating. Soon, Azial decided, just wasn't soon enough.

It was time. By sunrise, her plan would be in motion.


	2. Put a Ring on It

**Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Azial popped into the steamy bathroom, sparing a small glance at the figure behind the shower curtain before her gaze zeroed in on the object she was here for.

She hesitated briefly, feeling a little guilty that she was forced to invade the girl's privacy _this_ much to get it, she usually had the utmost respect for her charge's _personal_ moments, and would try to keep her distance. She tried telling herself it was okay, it wasn't like she was peeking or anything. As much as she couldn't deny that Jasper's mate was a very beautiful girl, she didn't swing that way... she didn't swing any way, really.

No, she wasn't asexual, Her Goddess would never have been cruel enough to have her Righter's constantly surrounded by the many forms of love, yet never allow them to experience it themselves. While Her Goddess may have never encouraged, nor discouraged her Righter's to remain celibate, she simply left it up to them to choose. But for the soul-bond that Her Goddess had promised each of her Righter's was out there for them, it was treated as a privilege you would have to earn through duty.

Azial's sisters, relatively newer to the job then she was, had chosen to occasionally indulge in pleasures of the flesh, knowing that the rights to their mates were hundreds of years off. But Azial had made decision to wait for her soul-bond instead. Sadly, it would take another century for him to be born, but she felt that it would be worth it. She had seen the power of the bond and she wanted more than anything to feel it herself, and not merely comfort herself with the moments of brief satisfaction that came with, _what did the mortals call it?_ Ah yes, one night stands. Besides, she had waited 500 years already, what was a hundred more when it came to soul mates?

Giving her head a shake to get her mind on track, she reached for the small, antique ring that was lying on the sink counter.

Alice's had been so much easier to get, and a heck of a lot less evasive. She had simply trailed her to the mall, and thrown a little influence her way when she was passing by a small, but respectable jewellery store.

It wasn't ten seconds later that Alice darted into the store with a, "I should really get my wedding ring polished, it hasn't been cleaned in _forever_," followed by a high pitched giggle as her and brunette girl at her side shared a laugh over the emphasis she had put on the last word. Behind them, Jasper, several bags dangling from his arms, had rolled his eyes.

Azial stepped closer to him when he began to murmur under his breath. "Yeah the whole, _I'm really a vampire that's been around for a hundred years or so and you have no idea _gets old fast. Like forever ago." The both snorted loudly. She wasn't worried about being heard, but he snapped his head up quickly, a look of half-contriteness on his face.

He didn't need to worry though, Alice was too busy making her demands very clear to a pale-faced employee about _'taking care of my ring'_ and _'it took ME forever to find the perfect one'_ and _'if there is a single mark on it when I get back, I'll have my father sue you into bankruptcy' _as she slipped the ostentatiously gaudy ring off her finger and handed it to the shaking clerk.

"Yes ma'am," the clerk had stammered. "It'll be ready for you in a half-hour." He promised, as he nodded his head exuberantly enough to almost dislocate it from his shoulders.

She had danced her way out of the store, an arm linked with Jessica's, throwing a cheery, "you better," over her shoulder. Jasper trailed reluctantly behind them.

Azial had stayed behind, following the clerk to the back room and quickly snatching the ring up when he left the room to grab his forgotten glasses. She held the ring lightly in her hand, fighting the urge to sneer at how ridiculously over the top it was.

She concentrated, focusing her magick on the object in her open palm, and allowing a softly whispered spell to pass her lips. The ring glowed an intensely dark pink for a few long seconds, before returning to its original state. She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting off a brief wave of light-headedness. As powerful as she was, it had taken a significant amount of her magick to, not only accomplish initiate her plan, but to have it hold for two days. She was unable to allow the spell to last any longer, as it might cause irreparable damage. She stared at it, amazed that such a small object could hold such power in it. Magick really was a wonderful thing sometimes. She placed it back down and allowed a quick grin to tug at her lips.

_Now the other one,_ she thought, locking on to her next targets signature and popping to her current location.

It was rather serendipitous that she happened to be in the shower at the time, considering that was one of the only two reasons the girl even took her ring off, the other being to wash the dishes. It was clear Her Goddess approved of her plans.

She allowed that thought to further console any lingering guilt as she plucked up the tiny ring and brought it closer to her face. It was much more tasteful then Alice's ring, silver with a small heart-shaped emerald at the center of it. Simple. Elegant. Beautiful. Just like the young woman who wore it, whether she believed it or not.

Azial knew it had belonged to the girl's grandmother. She could still feel the bonds of love the original wearer had for the person who had given it to her (a relationship that had been a surprisingly rare example of a human soul-bond) and also for the granddaughter who now possessed it entwined around the band. Not even time could fade love that powerful.

She closed her fingers around the ring this time, containing the glow that it gave off when she repeated the same words she had whispered earlier. When she was sure the glow was gone, she unfolded her fingers and replaced the ring in the same position on the sink counter. A sigh of relief passed her lips, knowing that the first part of the plan had been set in motion.

She pushed away the smidge of worry that was beginning to creep in as she though over how the rest of it would go. Alice's part might take a little more effort than she was hoping for, but as for the other two, it would be up to them. She hesitated again, unsure if it was best choice to leave it entirely up to them, especially considering how difficult the male was proving to be. Deciding that the girl was the more accepting and reasonable of the two, she made a tentative addition to her plan, rolling over the exact way to go about it.

_That will work,_ Azial told herself with a firm nod, when she came to a decision. She repeated the phrase a few times in her head, allowing her confidence to grow.

She tensed briefly when a corner of the shower curtain cracked open and a head, hair darkened almost a muddy-blood color by the water, peeked out and scanned the medium sized space with wary, chocolate eyes.

Azial didn't know what it was about this girl, but she quickly came to realize that if she spent more than a few minutes in her presence, even fully cloaked, the girl would eventually get a sense that something was there. It amused and intrigued her, but Azial was here for a specific reason, she didn't have the time to familiarize herself with anything that wasn't related to the bond. Perhaps it was something she could look into in the future. Maybe after she found her own mate and settled into semi-retirement (a Righter's job was never _truly_ over.) After all, if things went to plan, this girl would be living for a _very_ long time.

The curtain closed and the girl resumed showering, but Azial could still tell that she felt uneasy. She was done anyways. Now she would step back into her observing role, at least for the time being.

She gave one last glance at the darkened silhouette behind the shower curtain. "Good luck, Bella," she whispered before popping out of sight. _You're gonna need it._

**-oo-**

A few moments after that uncomfortable feeling of being watched disappeared, definitely _not_ the best feeling to have in a shower, Bella turned off the water and stepped out from behind the curtain. She stood naked for a moment, her shoulders immediately drooping as the weight of what felt like the entire world weighed down on her. She had hoped that the hot water would wash away some of the pain she had been feeling for the last...

_The last what?_ she thought sluggishly, unable to grasp a specific time. Instead, she reached for her towel and began drying herself harshly with the grainy fabric, her mind wandering to the moment when she had met the Cullen clan for the first time. Deep down, she suspected that that was what eventually lead to this pain, what eventually lead to...to...

_Jasper._

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_**A/N: For those of you that are wondering about Azial and what she actually IS and who she actually works for... well, I'm sorry to say I never really come out and say it. I suppose if you want to get technical,her boss could be construed as The Goddess of Love, but I didn't really feel like opening up that particular can of worms, so she'll only be refereed to as Her Goddess.**  
_


	3. I May Be New, But I Ain't Blind

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews so far! It's nice to see that the interest in this story seems to be picking up.********  
**_

**********_Now, this is where you're really gonna see those tweaks I mentioned in the beginning. So if you're a fervent fan of canon (what the heck are you doing reading a Jasper/Bella stories anyways? ;P) you might not appreciate some of the changes. Be gentle if you aren't..._  
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Jessica had been bragging about them from the minute Bella had stepped inside the house, trailing behind her father, Charlie, with a bag slung over her shoulder and a box of her treasured books cradled in her arms. There had been no 'Welcome to the family,' a greeting that would have been a few years too late anyways, from either her new step-sister or her indifferent step-mother.

The last time she had seen any of them, including her father, had been at their wedding two and a half years prior, which had been an experience so unpleasant, thanks to the frosty reception of the new Mrs. Swan and her daughter, that Bella had decided to keep her distance. There had been a few shared calls between her and her father after that, the last one sadly being almost 6 months after the one previous, when her father told her that he had been transferred and he and the _family_, and yes, that had hurt, had moved to a little town in Washington called Forks. (She had to hold in the snort at that.) He had went on to tell her that the house they had bought had a spare room, and he was going to set it up for her so she could visit any time she liked.

Two months after that call, and a month into summer vacation, she took him up on that offer.

Her mother had been in her third week of wedded bliss trying to decide if she was going to travel with her husband, who played baseball in the minor leagues, for the next _'6 or 7 months at least.'_ And while she never came out and said it directly, choosing instead to stick with _'wouldn't it be nice if you visited your father for a while?'_ it was clear she had already made her decision. And although it had stung, Bella had genuinely wanted to give her mother this. She had been so depressed when her Nana had died earlier that year, and seeing her eyes light up as she described all the things she was going to do and the places she would visit, Bella made her decision as well and picked up the phone.

She was grateful that her father had been so agreeable to the whole thing, considering the very real rift between the two of them. He hadn't hesitated to enroll her into Forks High when he found out that her 'visit' would encompass her senior year. Although judging by the 'greeting' she got from her stepmother her first day there, she had a feeling she hadn't been quite as agreeable.

She hadn't been in her new room for more than an hour, taking stock of the walls, a pale grey, the bed, with its deep green cover (wondering vaguely if her father knew that green was her favorite color), the scuffed desk shoved in the furthest corner and the empty bookshelf against the wall next to a medium sized dresser, before Jessica was barging through her open door a picture clutched tightly in her hand.

The picture had turned out to be her, '_totally hot!' _boyfriend, Edward Cullen. This had lead to a long winded speech about the '_most perfect family ever.'_

_He was okay,_ Bella had decided internally, still a little miffed about her personal space being invaded by a practical stranger and having a picture pretty much shoved in her face. She had begun putting her things away, listening with half an ear as Jessica prattled on, wondering if she realized that all her gushing praise made them sound like a hybrid between a fifties family sitcom and an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue.

After that day, it had been two weeks of mean quips about Bella's looks, weight, style or her _'all around loser-ness' _when the parental units weren't within hearing distance, intercepted with, _'Edward this'_ and _'Cullen's that,'_ before Jessica reluctantly agreed to introduce her. Apparently the Cullen's, the elder ones at least, had been asking about her.

It would prove to be a life changer.

If she was honest, most of the Cullen's didn't make any real sort of effort to make her feel especially welcome in the beginning. Oh, they definitely tried when Jessica had first introduced her to them, especially Carlisle, Esme and Emmett who had went out of their way to be inviting, but she couldn't help but feel that it was merely for her step-sister's benefit.

There had been something in the air, probably over-exaggerated thanks to her own lack of self-worth, that made it feel like the empty spot (the one that had apparently been beside Edward before he started dating Jessica) in their family had already been filled (very similar to the situation with her own father) and she was the charity case they would eventually take pity on from time to time. Nothing of the sort would ever be said, of course. The family was much too polite for that, and that included the three members that frequently sneered in her direction. But she felt like it was implied from the moment Jessica gleefully began introducing them to her. Like it was her way of saying, _'Look at this awesome family that totally adopted me as their own. That makes two families that want me and not you,' _without having to show the vicious streak that apparently only Bella got to experience.

She couldn't say she was entirely jealous of the bond Jessica seemed to share with them, her own father, yes, but she could agree to a little in the beginning. But it all but disappeared after she found out what they were.

It actually hadn't been Jessica who'd told her, despite her ability to share private information she knew about anyone to everyone she came in contact with (something she apparently got from her gossipy mother). But Bella sensed that there was something Jessica was hiding. Something that she felt a little smug about. The '_I know something you don't'_ practically rolled off of her in waves whenever the Cullen's were brought up. Afterwards, she came to realize that this was a secret that could potentially come with some serious consequences. Not only if you told, but if you knew as well. That's why she hadn't told Jessica that she knew either.

She was shocked more people didn't make the connections she had. The signs were really obvious if you took the time to truly notice them.

She had watched interviews on TV after a family man had been convicted of murdering a dozen people. Everyone had said the same things, _'He was such a nice guy'_, _'I had no idea he was capable of this'_ or _'I still have a hard time believing it.'_ She supposed that type of denial could apply in this situation as well. Just like nobody could just look at a stranger on the street and go, _'Yep, that's a serial killer,'_ they wouldn't be able to look at a group of teenagers, a doctor and a housewife and be, _'Yep, those are vampires.'_ Even Bella had felt a little ridiculous when she first came to the conclusion.

She had been well on her way down the path of 'the Cullen's aren't normal' mere moments after meeting them. She was a skilled people watcher, something that came easy to a girl used to being on the outside looking in and she noticed their oddities immediately.

The eyes were a gimmie. What adopted family all happened to have the exact same color of eyes? And gold to boot. Who had gold eyes, legitimate gold, not a brown light enough to be mistaken for gold, outside of horror movies? And the skin? Bella had long thought that she was the palest person ever. She liked the sun just fine, preferably through a window, but these people looked like they were competing with the actual color white on who was the whitest... and winning.

It probably hadn't helped their defense much when Carlisle had shaken her hand. Not only was it practically rock hard (and that he was clearly making the effort to keep it as loose as possible) but it was cold. Not the, 'I just came in from the cold,' cold, but bordering on ice.

Nobody knew this, not even her mother or father, but when her maternal grandmother had died, she had lingered after the service when her burial had been postponed because of a storm. When everyone had left, she had leaned over the coffin, which had been lowered significantly so the younger grandchildren could say their goodbyes, and hugged her, pressing her cheek against hers like she always used too. Bella wept when she didn't feel the comforting warmth of her Nana's skin. Instead it felt stiff and cool, sending a chill through her entire body.

She felt that same chill when she touched his skin.

Sure, she had remained wary for the last few weeks of summer break, but because the word vampire hadn't even crossed her mind quite yet at that point, she still continued to agree to Emmett's(who she eventually grew the closest too) video game challenges, help Esme cook and borrow Carlisle's books.

It had taken the new school term beginning, her and Jessica's senior year (she didn't have any illusions that her step-sister would help her ease into the new surroundings. She didn't.) to solidify her suspicions She was finally given ample opportunities (and space, considering she usually sat alone) to observe the younger Cullen's in the school cafeteria, something she couldn't have possibly done sooner. You can't exactly stare at someone sitting across from you on the couch while you played a video game together, or on a chair while they fixed you a snack in the kitchen and expect them not to notice.

Because everyone else seemed to pass their eyes over the table where the Cullen's, and a preening Jessica, sat at least half a dozen times in their allotted forty-five minute lunch break, she figured she'd look (even more) out of place if she didn't do the same as well.

Bella looked at the other students first. A combination of awe, lust, envy or fear colored each of their faces. Then she turned her gaze to the empty tables, at what she considered a prime spot beneath the large windows, on either side of the Cullen's. They were given the same wide berth in the hall as well, as people went out of their way to steer themselves around them.

She had to give the students of Forks High a little credit. They might not know exactly what the Cullen's were, but could at least sense that something wasn't right. _'Survival instincts.'_ Her mind had immediately offered up, a barked laugh rolling off her lips. An action that caused a few students one table over to stare at her strangely.

She hadn't realized how close she was getting to the truth at that point.

One night she was in her room, hours after Creeping on the Cullen's (aka _Lunch Hour_) _again_ and observing them simply pushing around the food on their trays, for the _fourth_ day in a row, (without bringing their forks or spoons to their mouth a single time) when the battered spine of a book caught her eye.

Bella slipped off the chair, abandoning her half finished homework and walked the few steps to her bookshelf. Pulling off the novel she hadn't read in years, she stared at the bold, red letters that graced the cover.

**DRACULA**

Suddenly it all clicked.

The Cullen's were vampires.

**-oo-**

She stayed up the entire night. Her mind torn between assuring her that everything finally made sense, or encouraging her to run down the hall and bang on her father and stepmother's door to kindly ask for a drive to the nearest mental hospital.

By morning, after going through everything in her head with a fine tooth comb- which may or may not have involved 2 pages of bullet points, which she may or may not have burnt a week later- she was completely convinced of her sanity and that the Cullen's were definitely vampires... or fairies.

_Fairies were pretty right? And the Cullen's were so damn beautiful... Beautiful. Pretty. Prettiful. _Okay, she might have been a tad delirious at that point.

She had been awake for 24 hours straight at that point and her mind might have been a little overloaded with information. She could have begged off school when her father came knocking, which probably would have been a good idea, considering how breakfast had went.

She ignored the plate that Jill, her stepmother, had placed in front of her, and stared at Jessica long enough for her to finally exclaim:

"You're creeping me out!" Which Bella supposed was a little nicer then the _'you look like crap,'_ comment she had greeted her with before she sat down.

It wasn't until Jessica complained again, whining, "Mom, Dad, make her stop! I can't eat while she's staring at me and Edward will be here to pick me up any minute," that Bella finally tore her eyes away.

She jerked up out her chair, startling Jill and causing her father to frown. He opened his mouth, for what was no doubt a stern lecture, but Bella had cut him off by barking out an, unintentionally harsh, "gotta go!" before tearing out of the kitchen, snatching up her keys, book bag (turning back slightly to grab a loose textbook that she'd failed to stuff inside it) and stumbling out of the house towards her truck.

She wasn't sure why, but she just didn't want to be around when he got there. Edward had been one of the more... unpleasant Cullen's. His arrogance and disdain practically oozing out of every pore from the moment she met him. He had quickly shared his girlfriend's dislike for her, finding some way to talk down to her whenever they had been in the same room. She had been wary of him then, but now, knowing what he was, she felt that wariness double.

But she couldn't just stop going, she realized, her hand pausing in the motion of turning the key in the ignition. Esme had tried, perhaps a little too hard, to make sure Bella understand that she was always welcome. She had been over a few times in the weeks before school started, as much as it annoyed Jessica that she was tagging along (which may have been one of the reasons why she did it) and couldn't deny that she had enjoyed both Esme and Emmett's company, even with Emmett's girlfriend shooting her a glare cold enough to freeze a flame in the background. She had even agreed to a game marathon with Emmett after school today, when he promised she would finally meet the mysterious final member of the Cullen clan. She couldn't just suddenly back out with no explanation (and there would be none because she was a terrible liar) then just as abruptly stop going all together. It would look suspicious.

And it wasn't like they had attempted to...well... _feed_ on her or Jessica (that she knew of) in all the time they had been around them. Or anyone else for that matter. She had spent a few hours surfing the internet last night looking for any 'suspicious human deaths' in the area and had come up empty, and that was a good thing... right?

Jessica was probably safe, thanks to her relationship with Edward. She remembered reading some cheesy vampire romance-slash-soft core porn (that she was beginning to wonder if it'd been written by an _actual_ vampire) that her mother had left lying around one afternoon when she was feeling especially bored and it was the closest book handy. It had mentioned something about... Her brow furrowed. _Mates?_ Yeah, something like that. Maybe that's what Jessica was to Edward. She shuddered imagining being stuck with someone like him (or her for that matter) for all eternity.

Where did that leave her though? Maybe the Cullen's were lulling her into a false sense of security with a comforting barrage of video games, conversation and that extra slice of her favorite pie that Esme always seemed to be encouraging her to take home.

_Good god,_ she thought hysterically, _maybe she's fattening me up, just like in Hansel and Gretel. _She paused with a frown._ Okay, now I'm really stretching._

Even _if_ that was the case, and for some reason she highly doubted it was, there still wasn't really anything that could be done about the Cullen's being vampires. She was no Van Helsing. And for that matter, what would she even do exactly? Storm into the house with a stake (assuming they even worked) held high over her head screaming, _'die you spawn of SAY-tan!'_ at the top of her lungs? Hell, all she was really going on was the assumption they were and that her mind hadn't snapped somewhere between picking up Dracula last night and the sun rising this morning.

_Could they go out in the sun?_ Bella thought, once again getting sidetrack. Her mind scrambled to pinpoint a moment when she had seen them in direct sunlight. She leaned over her wheel and glared at sky. The sun that had been there half an hour ago, was now covered by clouds that were threatening rain. The sky had been so perma-grey from the day she'd gotten here, she couldn't even remember the last time the sun shined for more than a half-hour tops.

_No, I am not going over all of this again, _she told herself firmly._ It doesn't matter anyways. The Cullen's definitely ARE vampires... aren't they?_

Ugg.. she was so confused.

Starting the truck, Bella simply decided that she would just ignore the situation, at least for the time being. _Yes,_ she nodded, maneuvering the vehicle out of the driveway, _I'll hang, I'll play, I'll chat. Business as usual. _She knew it would be difficult, and maybe not the wisest decision she had ever made, but it was easier than the alternative she had come up with, leaving town, cutting ties with her family and changing her name to Bertha Wetmore.

Turned out it wouldn't be as difficult to ignore as she thought. Not after that day. Not after she finally met...

_Jasper._


	4. Crash Into You

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: When it comes to descriptions, I'm sticking with the Eclipse (movie) version of Jasper. I'm almost ashamed to admit how many times I've watched the scene where he teaches them to fight..._  
**

* * *

**Part 4**

It was a little weird that she hadn't met him earlier. Jessica still made the effort to point out the missing member during that first meeting, though she hadn't explained his absence. Instead, a strangely smug (though she hadn't been quite able to place the emotion at the time) Alice took it upon herself to inform Bella that he was away running an errand that day. And the next. And the next. It pretty much continued for the remainder of the summer vacation, with Alice unnecessarily sticking her head in to tell her whenever Bella casually mentioned it to Emmett, until she eventually stopped asking.

All she knows is by the end of the first week she was sure of two things: that this Jasper person must _really_ like running errands and that Alice made her feel very... unsettled. Edward and Rosalie hadn't hesitated in being openly derisive towards her (though Rosalie did scale it back a bit eventually, largely because of Emmett, and merely stuck to glaring at her) but Alice was... well it wasn't exactly sure what Alice was.

What was clear was that her and Jessica were BFF's (and even had the matching necklaces to prove it) and that should have been enough for her decide to hate her on principal alone, just like Edward had. But instead, for the first few days, she went out of her way to be friends with her. But her approach wasn't sweet or endearing like Emmett or Esme's was, instead it was borderline aggressive, and revolved completely around some attempt to make over her clothes or her looks. When Bella appeared to be resisting instead of embracing, she doubled her efforts, surprising Bella one day at the house with a whole new, what she called 'welcome to Forks,' wardrobe. A wardrobe that consisted of various shades of pink and orange. Bella had politely refused all of it. It hadn't gone over well. Emmett finally had to step in and tell Alice to chill when tears began to form in Bella's eyes after fifteen straight minutes of berating.

Alice, realizing she had failed in her strange effort to create a 'Bella Barbie,' finally caved under Emmett's stern stare and huffed off, not bothering with an apology. She eventually had the final word later that night when Bella was unlocking her truck to go home,

Suddenly appearing behind her (_where did she come from?_ Bella thought mystified) she leaned in close enough for their noses to almost touch, a wide joker-like grin stretched her lips. "No one really wants you here anyways," she had whispered in an eerily cheerful tone, before turning back towards the house. "Toodles."

It took three days before Emmett could convince her to come to the house again.

She pretty much avoided Alice after that, and the creepy grins she kept sending her way, by sticking close to Emmett or Esme. Thankfully, school started a few days later and Bella found herself sidetracked by adjusting to a new school and her mission to figure out exactly what the Cullen's were.

Four days later, the same day she would pull that tattered copy of DRACULA from her bookshelf, Emmett had caught her staring at them. He'd been cool about it, thank god, not pointing it out and instead had waited till a few minutes after the bell had rung, signalling that lunch was over. He had waved Rosalie off with a, "I'll catch up with you in a minute, babe," before swaggering over to a faintly blushing Bella.

"I know I'm good looking, but this staring thing has got to stop. You're gonna make my girl jealous." He joked with a cheeky grin.

Nervous about being caught, Bella attempted to shrug it off. "Sorry. It's just everyone else in this cafeteria stares at you, crowd mentality and all." She bit her lip, even that excuse had sounded pathetic to her ears.

He favored her with a long look, and Bella wondered if he was going to call her out on it.

"True." He offered instead. "It is one of the drawbacks of being a stud." A dimpled smile stretched his lips. "Still up for the game marathon tomorrow?"

"I dunno, Em. First week of school and I already have a huge assignment and I just..."

"Jasper's home."

She stopped speaking and stared. "Sorry?"

"Jasper, the illustrious final member of our infamous brood. The one you've been wanting to meet for weeks? Ring any bells, Bells?" He laughed at his own joke.

"Oh, he's back from visiting his family?" Bella wondered if that came out sounding as sarcastic as she thought it did. She didn't know why she was so suspicious about the whole thing, but for four weeks straight it had been, errands this, or visiting that. She thinks there might have even been mention of a cruise in there once. Seriously, a teenager on a _cruise_ of all things by himself? Yeah, sure.

"Yep. He's gonna stop in tomorrow sometime to pick up his schedule, but he won't be starting officially til Monday. I figured you want the chance to meet him before that. So, games?

"Sure," Bella agreed, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice. Why was she so strangely excited? It was just some guy. Some guy that was apparently involved with Alice, which, considering the type of person she was, didn't speak too favorably of his character.

"I'll be there with bells on." She promised with a quirk of her lips. It stretched into a large smile when Emmett let out a huge belly laugh.

"I have taught you well, young padawan." A second warning bell sounded and his smile dropped. "Shit, Rose'll kill me if I get detention for being late to class again. Gotta go. See ya tomorrow." He jogged off.

Any humor, or excitement that remained over that conversation was officially gone by that evening.

**-oo-**

_So, vampires._

Bella watched as the number changed on her dashboard clock. Despite being over almost an hour early for school, she was now officially twenty minutes late for class. Every time her hand reached for the handle, she'd remember that she had second period with Emmett and she'd just... stop. After the tenth time, she gave up completely and stared ahead. How was she to act around him again? Was she really expected to just go in there and joke about Mr. Andrews bad toupee like nothing was wrong?

_Yes, yes you are. _

Because for him, nothing was wrong. He didn't know that she knew and she didn't want him to know that she knew.

She blinked.

_I am insane._

Yes, this was going to be a bad day. Between the ramblings of her mind, and the strange tugging sensation in her chest, it was safe to say if was already off to a pretty terrible start.

She took a few deep breaths, using the moment to gather up whatever amounts of meager courage she possessed and wrapping it firmly around herself. Settling back into the mentality that she had had earlier in her driveway, to ignore it for now, she grabbed her book bag off her seat and marched firmly towards the school.

_I CAN do this, _she told herself.

Entering the school, she turned in the direction of the office to pick up a late pass. Her pace slowed slightly when the clenching in her chest, strangely located around her heart, got worse. Her gaze lowered as her hand rose to grab at the fabric at her chest and she feared for a brief moment she was having a heart attack.

_What the..._

Two things happened at once, she slammed into a very hard body that sent her sprawling to the ground and the pain in her chest subsided.

Brushing the hair out of her flushed faced, Bella cautiously raised her head, her vision a little blurry from the knock she had received. Almost as if someone had pressed the slow motion button on the remote of life, her eyes moved from the black, square-toed boots, up the fitted (obviously very expensive) dark wash jeans and over the dark grey thermal the stretched over a (_very nice_ and _very masculine_) broad chest. She had managed to get as far as his neck, before the figure crouched down to her level.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" A honeyed, Texan accent caressed her ears.

"I'm fi-." Her vision finally cleared and she saw his face.

_Oh._

He was...

_Perfect._

Longish, golden-blond waves fell almost to the chin of a face, whose chiseled feature made it look like it was carved of the finest alabaster. Her eyes fell to watch his dusty rose lips as they frowned, before sinfully wrapping around the syllables of words that were unintelligible to Bella's ears.

When she finally met his concerned, yet familiar topaz eyes, she knew without a doubt this was Jasper.

She reached for the hand he was offering, a jolt running through her body when she touched his skin and she felt as if something literally snapped into place. Something she didn't know was missing before.

_Home_, her mind whispered.

The brief look of shock in his beautiful golden eyes made her wonder if he felt it too. The way he continued to hold her hand, even after he had helped her stand, had the hope that he had spreading through her chest. Silent, they stood there, their eyes remaining locked, even after the shrill sound of the bell pealed through the still hallway.

"What's your name, darlin'?" He finally asked.

Bella closed her eyes as the dulcet tones sent a warm shiver through her body. "Bella," she breathed.

"Bella," he repeated. Her name had never sounded so beautiful. "I'm..."

"Jasper!" A voice shriller then the bell that had rung seconds ago shrieked.

Their eyes were finally forced to break eye contact when a petite, dark-haired body threw themselves in his arms and attached her lips to his.

There were no words to describe the agony Bella felt in that moment.

Pulling back from the kiss with a loud smack, she gave him a quick once over. "Why aren't you wearing the clothes I bought you, Jazzy? I set them out on the bed for you this morning."

Bella watched as a quick grimace flashed over his face, so quick, that had she not been staring at him still, she wouldn't have noticed.

"I-"

Alice waved him off. "I guess it doesn't matter. You can always change when you get home." Turning towards Bella, she adopted an exaggerated look of surprise.

"Oh hey, Bella, I didn't see you there. I see you've met my hus-boyfriend, Jasper." Her bubblegum pink lips, hidden from Jasper by the slight angle of her head, flashed a victorious smirk.

_She was going to say husband. He's her husband._ Swallowing the lump in her throat. Bella nodded. "I- I have."

"Well I'm sure he'd love to stay and chat, but I'm sure he's got to be going." She turned to Jasper, frowning slightly when she saw he was still staring at Bella. "Did you get your schedule all worked out, Jazzy?" She noticed the slip of paper in his hand. "Can I see it?" she asked, reaching for it.

Jasper stared down at the paper, like he'd forgotten he was even holding it. He handed it to her. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Oh," Alice squealed. "We have second, third and forth together! This is going to be such a great year."

"Yeah," he agreed, meeting Bella's eyes again.

Alice tugged forcefully at his arm. "C'mon, I'll walk you out to your car, Jazzy. The bell's gonna ring in a few seconds and I don't want to be late for class."

He nodded, bending down to grab the textbook that had miraculously managed not to get kicked away by the passing crowd. Handing it to Bella, their fingers touched again briefly, sending another pleasant hum through her body. "It was nice to meet you, Bella," he said softly, Alice already tugging him in the opposite direction.

"You too," she whispered back, cradling the book to her chest. Her eyes followed his form all the way down the hallway, meeting his one final time when he threw her a last look over his shoulder before walking out the door.

Bella stood in the empty hallway, for seconds, minutes, hours, she didn't know. What she did know, was in that short moment her life had changed irrevocably.

She just didn't know if it was for the better.

**-oo-**

The pain that flared in her chest at the mere thought of that day, of... him... snapped Bella out of the dream-like state she was in. She realized, dimly, that it was something that would be repeated a lot in the future. Watching him walk away from her.

Looking into the bathroom mirror, she saw that she had completely zoned out in the middle of putting on her sleep shirt and it was now bunched awkwardly on her shoulders. She finished pulling it down and returned her gaze to the mirror. She looked horrible. She looked...

_Like a vampire,_ she realized with a touch of grim humor. _How appropriate. _She was paler than usual, offset by the bruise colored skin under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She had lost weight as well, obvious in the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the press of her ribs against the skin over her stomach.

_Nana's ring doesn't fit as snug as it used to either_, she noted absentmindedly, staring down at it as she slipped it on her ring finger. Her vision blurred and a tear trailed down her cheek and splashed off the small heart-shaped emerald.

_I wish you were here, Nana, _she thought with a harsh sob. _I need you so much now._

She certainly couldn't talk to her father about... whatever this was. He had made a comment earlier in the week about her looking like she hadn't slept in a while, and that had been the extent of his concern, before Jessica had distracted him with the latest town gossip. In his defense, Bella had gotten better at hiding her appearance after that. Her usual style, sweaters and jeans (with a new addition of a belt with a couple extra notches haphazardly punched in) made it easier to hide her shrinking frame.

Her mother was out of the question as well, being conveniently incommunicado for the last two weeks. Besides, she had never been particularly adept at talking about... well, girl things with her anyways. No, she had went to her Nana for that.

_Girl things?_ Bella sneered, twining her long, damp hair into a sloppy braid._ Is that what this is?_

Jill was a no also. She'd made it very clear, even after almost three months of being here, that she still only barely tolerated Bella's presence. And Jessica was laughable. Besides, even if she had wanted to talk to her (which she really, _really_ didn't) she was currently out of town for the weekend, on an impromptu trip with Edward, to somewhere she couldn't recall. She'd distanced herself from all of the Cullen's as well when, whatever this was, had started. Not that she felt particularly close enough to any of them to share.

_No,_ she realized dimly, _I don't have anyone._

With one final look in the mirror, Bella turned away with a sigh of resigned disgust. She had spent too many hours already just looking into the standing one in her room wondering what was wrong with her. Wondering why he seemed to find her company, why he found _her, _so... repulsive.

_No, no, no more, s_he begged as tears gathered in her eyes again. She rubbed at them harshly, shuffling towards her bedroom. It was only a few minutes shy of eight, but she was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.

She crawled beneath the covers, pulling them up over her head and curling in a fetal position. An hour later, her pillow soaked by the tears she had failed to hold in, her exhausted mind finally took pity on her and allowed her to drift off in a deep, dreamless sleep.

A sleep so deep she didn't notice when her ring starting glowing.

**-oo-**

At the same time, across town at the Cullen's residence, Alice had settled into, what she called 'down-time'. She might not be able to technically sleep, but she at least liked to pretend she still did. After all, a girl needed her beauty rest.

She had actually gotten quite skilled at shutting her body and mind down into a trance-like state, so much so that she had practically conditioned her body to instinctively do it. So every night around the same time, she'd slip into a different frilly nightgown (pure silk of course) and shoo Jasper out of the room (she hated sharing the bed with someone who didn't fully appreciate her designer sheets and chose to complain about the color instead. She didn't care, pink was fabulous!) The other members of her family thought it was a bit silly, but they indulged her, just like they did everything else in her life.

Her eyes drifted closed as a smug smile played on her lips. Life was practically perfect.

She was unaware that, thanks to Azial's spell, for the first time in eighty years, she would be sleeping for real that night.

**-oo-**

The distracted Cullen's, an impulsive night hunt for the males, and a rom-com in the living room downstairs for the females, didn't notice the kaleidoscope of colors that pulsed out from underneath Alice's closed door. It was a mesmerizing display, the muted colors shifting with every pulse. Pink. _Pulse_. Maroon. _Pulse. _Silver. _Pulse. _There was a still pause before the silver was slowly streaked through with a beautiful teal tint that eventually encompassed it completely.

A muffled laugh drifted up from the stairway as the color faded completely and the hallway went dark.

**-oo-**

From her position perched on the branch outside Bella's window, Azial watched as the glow from the ring saturated Bella's entire body, slowly shifting from it's original pink into a bright, blueish-green color. The glow pulsed, then flashed a pale silver, before a muddy maroon began to seep into it and spread out around her sleeping frame. The color faded as it slowly sunk into the sleeping figure's body. The tingle of magick, too subtle to disturb the other sleeping members of the house subsided, and the room once again became dark and still.

"It's done," Azial whispered.

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**_A/N2: So... have any guess as to what Azial's plan was yet? I always figured I was being ridiculously obvious with the play on words title..._ _Love to hear your thoughts!_**


	5. Putting on the Switch

**********Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**A/N: Okay... after the 300th rewrite, I finally feel sorta satisfied enough with this chapter to post it. And to all the writers reading this, I have suddenly developed an entirely new appreciation for you. If you go through half of what I do when writing a chapter, yet still manage to post, two to three times a week.. you guys are straight up amazing... and undoubtedly partially insane. **_

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Bella slowly came too, her eyes fluttering briefly before closing in again in bliss. She must have slept longer and harder then she thought because she felt good. Strike that, she felt great, better then she had in weeks. She felt strong and alert. She felt...

Silk sheets.

_What the..? _

Jerking up in bed, she stared dumbly at the Pepto-Bismol pink sheet she had bunched in one hand. Her eyes trailed down to the matching duvet pushed up against the silver-plated foot-board and up the frame to the canopy (in a lighter shade of pink edged in... _gag_... white ruffles) overhead.

_This IS NOT my bed. _

As if it burnt her hand, Bella swiftly dropped the sheet, kicking it completely off her legs and throwing herself off the mattress. She was shocked when she flew across the room and crashed against the dresser two feet away, the force knocking over the pictures frames and small crystal figurines that lined the back of it. She pushed herself off it (the force of which, tipped the dresser and sent the various objects on it tumbling down the back with a tinkling crash) before spinning around and taking in the rest of her surroundings.

_So. Much. Pink._

It wasn't only the sheets, but the walls as well... and the curtains, the furniture and the small area rug at the side of one bed. Hell even the dresser she was backed up against was trimmed in pink.

Horror began to seep into her veins when Bella realized that this place look familiar. She had been here once, the day that Alice had tried to force that new wardrobe on her.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god.. _

Why was she in Alice's room? Why had she been in her bed?

_Did she.. did she kidnap me?_ She wondered hysterically. _Only to keep you in her room, in her bed, in the Cullen's house? Why the hell would she do that? _Her mind sneered.

_Okay, so there has to be an explanation, a reasonable explanation. There has to be..._Her thoughts cut off when her eyes connected with the large mirror that made up the top half of a vanity directly to the right of her. The fact that she was wearing an indecently short nightgown (definitely _not_ what she had put on last night) was strangely the first thing to register. But when her mind finally caught up with what her eyes were seeing, she opened her mouth and screamed.

A crash sounded from the lower level and thundering footsteps were heard quickly ascending the stairs. The door was thrown open; the force of it causing it to break off its hinges, and a blurred figure darted to her side.

"Alice?! Are you alright?"

Bella's knees buckled and she fell heavily to the ground, cracking the pristine wooden floor.

"No, no, no, no," she began to whisper hysterically.

_Oh god... I'm Alice._

**-oo-**

Alice hummed as she stretched. She had never literally felt like she was waking up before. She must be getting better at it.

Her eyes remained closed as her forehead scrunched in confusion. She felt strange, her mind lethargic, her body ached. And her heart...

_Beat._

Alice sat up slower then she was used to, thanks to her heavy limbs and jerked a hand up to her chest where she could feel the throb of her heart beneath the fabric that was covering it.

_I'm a real girl,_ she thought stupidly. Why exactly had Emmett insisted on watching that ridiculous Pinocchio movie the other night?

Rubbing over the area, she glanced down, confused at the strange fabric she felt beneath her fingers.

"Eek!" She squealed, tossing back the hideous hunter green bedspread that covered her body. Was that... polyester? She shuddered. Who would cover her in that? She was going to tear into Emmett if this was another one of his pranks

Alice swung her legs over the bed, determined to march downstairs and give Emmett a piece of her mind and maybe even plan a little revenge of her own. Something involving his precious video games.

She paused when her feet came in contact with the ground... her feet had never been able to touch the floor before when she had gotten out of bed in the past. She even had to hop a little to get into it in the first place.

Her sluggish mind finally catching up, she gaped down at the toes curled into the rug, (that was definitely not the pretty fuzzy flower one that usually occupied the floor on her side of the bed) toes that were lacking the fresh coat of Pink Passion Sparkle that she had applied the night before.

Her hands clenched at the mattress edge as her head shot up. Instead of being greeted by the sight of her fine designer bedroom set (picked from the Armani Xavira fall catalogue) she was met with tacky, obviously second hand, furniture. It was a mismatched hodgepodge that consisted of a dresser, a nightstand (with a lamp sitting on it that was so not from Tiffany's) a scuffed desk and, Alice wrinkled her nose, _'Is that a bookshelf?' _in the corner.

_This is NOT my room._

Feeling the onset of a headache (_How is that possible_, Alice wondered, mystified) she clutched at her head, her fingers tangling in... her hand froze. Grabbing at the strands, (and wincing when she practically ripped it out of the braid it had been tied into) she pulled a chunk of it in front of her face, her eyes bugging out, not only at the new length, but the color as well.

_I know this hair..._

Panicked, her eyes darted around the room, latching on to a semi-familiar shape stuffed into the corner. She lurched off the bed and stumbled over to, what she prayed was a full-length mirror. Ripping off the robe that was draped over it, she took one look into the reflective surface and shrieked.

_Oh god... I'm wearing plaid!_

**-oo-**

"Alice?" A hand touched her shoulder, sending a slight buzz (almost similar to a static shock) through her body. She'd felt that feeling once before.

Bella looked up into Jasper's concerned, and slightly puzzled topaz gaze.

She didn't think it was possible, but with her new vampire eyes, he had gotten even better looking. Those same eyes were tempted to run down the peculiar crescent-shaped marks that littered his lower neck. She had never noticed those before, but then again, she had never been this close to him either. Her eyes trailed back to his lips when she noticed he was talking again.

"Are you alright? I heard you scream." She watched as he glanced hesitantly around the room, as if searching for a hidden foe.

"I'm fine..." _God, what was that ridiculous nickname of his?_ "...Jazzy." She fought a cringe. "I just," _just what? _Bella thought, her racing mind searching for a reasonable excuse. Her eyes dropped to her lap and she had a sudden urge to sigh in relief when she noticed something she could use.

Picking up the hem of the nightgown she was wearing, Bella stretched it up (keeping her movements slow and relaxed. Judging by the way she overshot the bed this morning, her new strength and speed would require careful treading) and encouraged Jasper's gaze towards the small tear.

"I realized I tore my nightgown." She affected a pout. "I just got this too." She held her breath, hoping that the last line held some semblance of believable truth (and that it sounded like something Alice would be upset over.)

Judging by the grimace that quickly passed over Jasper's face as he rose from his crouch, she had a feeling she'd succeeded.

"It's just a nightgown, Alice. It's not the end of the world."

Trying to stay in character, Bella rose to her feet as well and fisted her hands on her hips. "Just a nightgown?! I'll have you know this is pure silk, from one of the finest designers of this generation!" Okay, maybe that was laying it on a bit thick, but in her defense, when it came to clothes, she really had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

Defeated, Jasper's shoulders slumped and Bella immediately felt contrite. She just wanted to gather him in her arms and...

_No. Remember when Emmett ruined Alice's new shoes by accident? How she reacted to him laughing? This is a girl who takes her clothes seriously. _Bella recalled a few of the choice words Alice had used that day._ Very seriously_. She schooled her features into a stern glare.

Jasper's head snapped up, cocking slightly as he stared at her in confusion. She clamped down on her nervousness (_angry Alice_) as he scanned the exasperated look on her face, meeting her eyes for a few long seconds, before the moment passed and his face smoothed once again into a blank look.

"You're right, Alice. I'm sorry. I'm gonna go downstairs and let you get ready."

Bella nodded jerkily. She's certain this will be the only time she'll ever willing want him to leave a room.

A small smile quirked her lips as Jasper sheepishly tried to close the door.

"I'll fix this later," He promised, finally tilting it out the door and propping it against the frame on the other side. "Just, uh, set it to the side when you come out."

He didn't even wait for an affirmation before she heard his footsteps descending the stairs.

She heard a door open, then close and the house fell completely silent. Reaching out her senses (she couldn't even begin to describe exactly how she was doing it) she noted that the house appeared to be empty at the moment.

Sinking back to her knees, Bella cradled her head in her hands, a broken sob escaping from her mouth.

And in that moment, all she could think was, _what is going on?_

**-oo-**

Jasper raced through the trees. He could feel the crisp morning air whipping against his cheeks, but it was doing little to erase the confusion he was feeling. He was certain that for a brief moment, he felt genuine regret from Alice for the words she had spoken to him. There had been plenty of times she didn't hesitate to talk down to him, but he could count on one hand the times she had ever felt sorry for something she'd said afterwards.

Not to mention that almost overwhelming flood of affection before it was abruptly cut off. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd felt that from her. Maybe the first time they had gotten married (Alice had insisted on renewing their vows several times in the 60 years they had been together. If only for the excuse to purchase whatever wedding dress happened to be in fashion at the time) but certainly not anytime recently.

And when he touched her shoulder...

_I've only ever felt that when I touched..._

Jasper shook his head. _No, it hurts too much to think about her._

Finally coming to a stop in the shaded and slightly hidden glen he had deemed his sanctuary since the minute the family had moved to Forks, he moved to sit in his usual place, on a large, mossy rock next to a babbling stream. Watching the calm waters, he wished for similar effect on his turbulent thoughts.

He had spent 60 years wishing he and Alice shared the same bond that Emmett and Rose, Carlisle and Esme and more recently, Edward and Jessica seemed to have. Sure they told the others they did, and for the longest time, he truly believed it himself. But when he touched... Bella that day, he knew differently. He felt ashamed at the way he had ignored her afterwards, but he didn't know what do. It wasn't easy going from simply wondering why your mating bond never felt like the others did, to having a quiet, shy (_beautiful_, his mind whispered) girl basically crash into your life and open your eyes to a new set of truths. He had never adjusted to change well.

And now it was changing again.

He'd felt that same jolt when he'd touched Alice's shoulder this morning.

So what did it mean? Was what he had felt with Bella that day really nothing more than a fluke? (The same thing he'd been trying to convince himself since it happened?) Was Alice really his mate after all?

He didn't know why that idea bothered him so much.

* * *

**_A/N2: So I'm hoping you're all finally getting why I chose the cheesy as hell title for my story.. forgive me for my lameness...  
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**_BTW, I have no idea if Armani Xavira even has a fall catalogue. I just typed in 'expensive designer furniture' and pretty much picked the first name I actually recognized (and a designer I figured someone like Alice would be gaga for.)  
_**


	6. You Got Some 'Splaining to Do

**********Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**************A/N: This is much later then usual, and I apologize. You know when you're trying to come up with ideas for a story and ANOTHER one demands to be written instead? It's kinda like that annoying fairy in the Legend of Zelda that hovers around Link's head. Do you know the one? HEY. HEY. LOOK. LISTEN. Yeah, that one.  
**_

_********************************__It was a challenge to get this out. My mind only has room for one story at a time, apparently. NO. This is not me saying I'm putting this story on hiatus, but that my updates will now be (hopefully) every one and a half to two weeks instead of the one that I was trying to stick to (and already unfortunately failed at with this story.) I hope that this chapter was worth the wait and that you're all still willing to stick with me afterwards.  
_

* * *

Alice ripped open the dresser drawer, digging through the clothes she realized with dismay were incredibly unstylish. If she was in Bella's body, that could only mean that Bella was in hers. This was not good, it could destroy everything she had spent sixty years molding.

She needed to warn Jasper, to tell her family that an imposter was walking around wearing a (very attractive) Alice suit. She needed to...

"Don't."

Alice paused, her hands clenched around a (hideous) checkered shirt. Her gaze drifted up to the door, which she hadn't seen open and still remained closed. She whirled around clutching the shirt to her body like it was some protective shield.

If the color silver had a form, this woman would be it. Everything about her had a silvery sheen, from her eyes, to her hip length, pin-straight, off white hair, to skin pale enough to almost be translucent. Even the fabric draped over her lithe frame shimmered in the late morning sunlight that spilled in from the window she stood in front of.

She was extremely beautiful... in a slightly intimidating way and though Alice didn't have her vampire sensibilities about her, she knew without a doubt that this woman wasn't human.

"Wh- Who are you?" she stammered.

"It is of no importance."

Indignation quickly replaced fear. "Excuse me? I'm in _someone_ else's body, wearing _plaid_ pajamas of all things, and you don't think it's important?!"

She flinched when the woman leveled an icy glare, made even more terrifying by the ice like color of her irises, at her. "Very well. I simply have no desire to tell you." Rolling her eyes as Alice continued to gape at her after a few long, uncomfortable moments of silence, she finally conceded. "Fine, my name is Azial and _that_ is all you need to know."

"What have you done to me?"

An amused gleam colored her eyes. "Why do you assume I have anything to do with this?"

"Don't play games with me!"

The amusement quickly darkened to ire. "You do not give me orders, vampire." A smirk tugged at her lips. "Though I suppose that title is not entirely accurate now is it?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Oh my dear, you know exactly why."

"I don't," Alice insisted.

"Hmm... Let me ask you this, your vampire memory allows you to recall every vision you've ever had, does it not?

Alice nodded reluctantly.

"Then tell me, what was your vision on September 13, 1987?"

"I don't-" Her gut clenched in fear when she realized the one she was referring too. "Bella," her traitorous lips whispered.

"Ah... so now you see."

"He's mine!"

"Is he really? Is it your non-existent mating pull that tells you that?" She clucked her tongue when Alice paled. "I have to admit, your silver tongue is impressive. You'd do well as an Irkling."

At Alice's confused look, Azial waved a dainty, disinterested hand. "A lower being. They hide in the shadows in whisper lies in people's ears to make them do terrible things."

"I'll tell everyone what you've done to me!"

"Will you? Please, do try."

Alice was puzzled. "What.. what do you mean?"

"Hmm.. A test perhaps. Please, say the words 'Jasper, I'm Alice.'" When Alice hesitated, her eyes darkened. "Say it." She ordered.

"Jasper, I-" Her throat closed up and her words cut off mid sentence. She tried again. "Ja-" she couldn't even get his name out this time. She tried another. "Car-" Nothing.

"A precautionary measure, I'm sure you understand. In addition to a barrier tuned into your essence being placed around your former residence, you can't speak it, you can't write it, you can't even think it. Though I suppose that part doesn't really matter now that the broody little mind reader isn't around."

"Did you have something to do with that too?"

"Well, I may have whispered something in his ear. Couldn't have him around, not with the suspicions that would come with him not being able to read 'Alice's' mind anymore." She cocked her head at the real Alice.

"You don't look surprised by that information. I suppose you already knew that he was unable to read her mind?"

The guilty look on Alice's face was enough to answer that question.

"It's why he hated her. It appears he enjoys being as intrusive on everyone else's life as you do."

Alice's mind began scrambling for solutions, finally ending up on a rather _drastic_ one.

"Do not even think it!" Azial barked. "If I put measures in place to stop you from telling, don't you think the same would be done to prevent you from hurting her? You are a cruel, vicious person for even considering it."

"You can't do this to me!" She shrieked.

"Oh my dear, can't you see? I've already done it."

**-oo-**

Bella shut the bathroom door, leaning her head against it with a whimper.

What was she going to do?

Reluctantly walking over to the mirror, she hesitated before looking up at it. She knew what to expect, but the sight of short black hair, pale, marble-like skin and golden eyes still jolted her. She smashed the mirror, feeling satisfaction that her new strength and resilient skin had allowed maximum damage and completely shattered it. A few pieces broke off into the sink while the rest remained in a haunting spider-web of destruction. She eyed those broken pieces and briefly glanced at her wrist. The skin she had a second ago lauded, she now cursed.

"Don't be afraid, Bella." A lyrical female voice spoke.

Bella jerked her head back up to the mirror, her fingers closing hard around the sink and cracking the porcelain.

Her eyes frantically scanned the damaged glass, but it was impossible to make out any sort of image. "You know me?" She demanded, panicked. "What is going on?"

"You are being given a chance."

"A chance for what? To see what I don't have, what I can't be?" Venom stung her eyes. "Why would you be so cruel?"

"No, you misunderstand. This is a chance to make him see; make him see what he could have. What he could have with you."

Bella laughed hysterically. "And you needed to switch our bodies to show him that? What is this a damn Disney movie? How could you possibly think that this would be the way to do it?"

The temperature in the room dropped.

"Did you believe your way was working any better? Allowing him to ignore you? Ignoring him?"

"I..." She turned away, ashamed. "What does it matter anyways?"

"You know the reason to that, Bella. Somewhere inside of you, you know that he is yours and you are his."

"If that were true, why would he ignore me in the first place?"

"You have the one you now possess to blame for that. She has twisted him with her lies and her false promises."

Bella was starting to get angry again. "And you decided the best way to deal with that would be to stick me in the body of the one that lied to him?"

"He needs to feel the difference."

Bella was confused. "Feel? I don't... What if I just tell Jasper?"

"Why didn't you? You had many opportunities in the bedroom."

Bella sputtered. "I had just woken up in a new body, I panicked."

"You were certainly calm enough to act like Alice though, weren't you?"

Bella fell silent as she considered her words.

"You will have two days, to achieve your goal."

_Two days, what the hell can I do in two days!_ _What can Alice to my body in two days!_ She thought hysterically.

"You'd be surprised. They say the world was created in six days, surely you can accomplish a lesser feat in two. And you have nothing to fear, Alice is not able to harm your body in _any_ way."

That eased Bella's panic, but only slightly.

"But know this; it is not only a chance you are given, but a choice. Though I found it necessary to place precautions on Alice, I have not done the same to you. The spell _will_ end in two days at the _exact_ same time it begun. Any longer and it could be in danger of becoming permanent. But should you chose to end it earlier, then all you have to do is approach Alice. Your souls will immediately 'jump ship' as you say and return to their proper places."

Bella's stomach clenched in fear at the thought of it being permanent. _But you'd have Jasper forever._ A small, traitorous part of her mind whispered.

"If you choose to do this, then you really could have that."

"Stay out of my mind!" Bella shrieked.

The voice was amused when it answered. "Just like the last time, you spoke those words out loud. I am unable to read your mind, but that is not of import. All that is important is choice, Bella." The voice began to fade. "Choose wisely."

**-oo-**

Curled up back on the floor in the bedroom (she couldn't bring herself to lay on that monstrosity of a bed, not after she realized that the pleasant scent of Autumn Spices mixed in with the overpowering stench of expensive perfume on the sheets was Jasper's) she still hadn't come any closer to making a _choice_.

For the third time, she eyed the object on the table next to the bed. The woman had said she couldn't go near... not that she couldn't call.

Crawling over to the cell phone, which was obviously Alice's if the bejeweled case was anything to go by, she flipped it open. Her hand shook over the numbers before pressing down lightly and dialing the number of her own cell phone. The one she kept on her dresser.

It rang twice before a harsh voice answered. "I know who this is, you bitch! I recognize my _own_ number!" It was a bit unsettling to be called a bitch by... well yourself. "How dare you use my phone... my body! Do you really think this will change anything? Jazzy will never love you. You're a worthless, pathetic human and when I get my body back, I guarantee you will _never_ see him again."

Shaken to the core, Bella pressed the disconnect button.

Crushing the phone in her hand, Bella stared unseeingly at the small, metallic bits in her hand. Seconds, minutes, hours later, she heard a door open somewhere in the house, and a hesitant voice call up the stairs.

"Alice?"

_What to do?_

**-oo-**

Walking down the stairs in the plainest outfit Alice had owned, and by plain she meant the lightest shade of pink, she watched as Jasper gave her long, semi-confused once over.

"Are you feeling any better, Alice?" He tentatively asked.

"I'm not," Bella paused, remembering all the times Jasper had avoided her. The way his face would contort whenever he was near her. The way he never failed to leave a room when she entered. Recalling Alice's words, she realized she was right. Jasper would never love her, but he did love Alice and she'd take whatever she could get... no matter how long that was.

"_I'm not_ sure why I made such a big deal out of it. This just means I can go shopping again." As she clapped her hands giddily together, Bella wondered it was possible for vampires to be sick.

**-oo-**

Tearing out of her bedroom after Azial had disappeared, she headed towards what she hoped was Charlie and Jill's bedroom.

Though Azial had told her she was unable to tell _her_ family, she had mentioned nothing about Bella's and was praying that it would prove to be some sort of loophole she hadn't considered. Crashing open the door, she was dismayed to find it empty.

Turning, she ran down the stairs, two at a time, and ended up stumbling down the last few and falling to her knees. She cried out at the pain, a sensation she hadn't felt in years. Kneeled on the floor she was able to scan the living room. Empty. Jumping to her feet she limped to the next room. Kitchen. Empty. Pulling at her hair in aggravation, Alice spotted a slip of paper attached to the fridge with a magnet. _**Bella** _was messily scrawled on the front. She ripped it off and unfolded the letter, tearing it slightly in her zeal. She skimmed over most of it, her eyes instead focusing on the words _'long weekend'_, _'trip_', _'cabin'_ and final rereading the last sentence. Again and again and again. _'Be back early Monday morning.'_

She howled in frustration._  
_

Upstairs, a phone rang.


End file.
